International Women's Day 2021

With this year’s International Women’s Day asking us to #ChooseToChallenge, Suntera Global is proud to have a number of senior women across its business and international network of offices, all of whom are committed to championing diversity and inclusion and, backed up by the firm’s commitment to ‘empower responsible ambition’, driving positive change.

This campaign aims to promote complete diversity and for our people to achieve their ambitions. To celebrate this year's theme, our Private Wealth leaders have decided to set themselves a physical or mental challenge which they aim will be to complete this year. The team wanted to focus on what challenges them personally outside of work (as well as in work of course!) as they are often juggling many demands. We all know the importance of having some ‘me’ time so they are going to use this time to achieve these unique and ambitious challenges. We will be sharing details of these challenges very soon and will be inviting our employees, clients and local communities to get involved.

“Our focus is on caring for our clients, our staff, the environment and the community in equal measure, and we do that by empowering responsible ambition both within the firm by supporting our colleagues, and externally through our clients, partners and contacts.

“It’s really important to us that, right at the heart of what we do, sits a commitment to high environmental, social and governance standards. It is that foundation of business governance, ethics and responsible practices that prepares us for the future and gives us our licence to operate.

“This year, we’ll be using IWD to highlight our commitment to championing diversity and equality, and choosing to challenge preconceptions and assumptions so that we can be part of the story in driving positive change.”

Anne Baggesen

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PRIVATE WEALTH DIVISION

Introducing our Private Wealth women leaders …

Anne Baggesen

MANAGING DIRECTOR, PRIVATE WEALTH DIVISION

Anne joined the Group Board of Directors in June 2019, shortly after celebrating fifteen years with the company and has been instrumental in managing the Group's multi-jurisdictional private client proposition ever since. She manages an international team of staff who support the establishment and ongoing management of trust structures for private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide.

Claire Machin

GROUP DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF PRIVATE WEALTH, JERSEY

Claire joined Suntera in 2010 and was appointed as a Group Director of Suntera Global in 2019. As Head of the Private Wealth of our Jersey office, Claire manages a team of staff who support the establishment and ongoing management of structures for private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. Over the years she has been involved in business development with a key focus for the last 6 years in Africa, in particular Kenya.

Janine Cubbon

DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF PRIVATE WEALTH, ISLE OF MAN

Janine is responsible for the provision of trust and company administration services for a large number of private and professional clients worldwide and has been with the company since 2003. She is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and STEP.

Deidree Bain

MANAGING DIRECTOR, BAHAMAS

Deidree has extensive experience in the financial services industry and joined Suntera Global in 2016. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and enhancing an already well respected and growing international trust services business, in a combined business development and management capacity. She serves on the STEP Global Philanthropy Advisor Special Interest Group Steering Committee.

Angella Williams-Myers

DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF PRIVATE WEALTH, CAYMAN

Angella leads the trust and fiduciary team in Cayman. With over 25 years’ experience in assisting high net worth individuals and corporations with their trust, wealth and succession planning, asset protection and acquisitions needs. Angella’s knowledge base encompasses trust, banking, corporate services and governance.

Rose Chan

DIRECTOR, HEAD OF PRIVATE WEALTH, HONG KONG

Rose is a Director in our Hong Kong office and is responsible for the business development function covering the Asian market. A seasoned professional in the trust and corporate service industry, Rose has extensive knowledge in company formation and trust services across multiple jurisdictions including BVI, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Samoa and the Seychelles.

Challenges

Anne Baggesen & Janine Cubbon, Isle of Man

Anne Baggesen, Managing Director, Private Wealth Division and Janine Cubbon, Director and Head of Private Wealth in the Isle of Man, have had the idea to challenge themselves during the course of the year by attempting to travel around the coast of the Isle of Man by paddleboard!

The team will develop a plan that will divide the Islands coast's circumference (approx. 100 miles) into manageable sections. When planning their route, the team will also have to carefully consider weather conditions and tides.

Anne and Janine want to invite everyone to get involved in any way they can, be it join the paddleboard challenge or show your support from the beach. At the end of the sections, the team plan on hosting informal social events such as beach cleans, coffees, and BBQs for other team members or anyone else who wants to get involved!

For more information, please view the challenge video or contact Anne and Janine.

Claire Machin, Jersey

Claire Machin, Group Director and Head of Private Wealth in Jersey's idea is for the Jersey office to collectively cover 2021 miles by the end of 2021!

Claire's ideas include a mixture of walk/run sessions, team coastal rows, and cycle relays around the Island and hopefully taking part in the Jersey Swimmarathon in July. The challenge kicks off with staff walking from the office every Wednesday evening from 7 April.

The office have also decided to include raising £2,021 for their chosen charity The Jersey Women's Refuge whilst doing the challenges and with various other events through the year.

Claire is looking forward to the challenge on behalf of the office - especially the rowing!

For more information, please watch the challenge video or contact Claire.

Deidree Bain, Bahamas

Deidree Bain, Managing Director of our Bahamas office, has decided to organise a step challenge that will run throughout April 2021!

Our team in the Bahamas will challenge themselves to log at least 10,000 steps each day for the whole month, a whopping 300,000 steps by the 30th of April!

Reaching 10,000 steps per day has many physical benefits, but it is proven to positively affect your mental health and wellbeing.

The team will raise money for the Dignified Girl Project. A non-profit organisation that provides feminine hygiene products and education to children and adolescent females to develop their self-confidence, body image and awareness of health and social concerns related to their biological development. The team felt the need to raise awareness and assistance for an under-supported charity.

There will be a suggested $10 per person registration fee to help raise money for the charity.

We invite clients and the community to take part in our challenge as well as our other offices around the globe!

For more information, please view our Facebook event page, download the poster or contact Deidree.

Angella Williams-Myers, Cayman

Angella Williams-Myers, Director and Head of Private Wealth in our Cayman office has chosen to organise a tree planting session in one of the public parks in Grand Cayman.

For more information, please watch the challenge video or contact Angella.

Rose Chan, Hong Kong

Rose Chan, Director and Head of Private Wealth, Hong Kong, has chosen to challenge our Hong Kong team to collectively accumulate 2,021 hours of exercise by the end of 2021.

The team of 11 can choose their preferred exercise as Rose understands that the team all have different hobbies. Some enjoy cycling, badminton, running, etc.

Rose is also planning to organise virtual workouts for the team and once lockdown restrictions ease in Hong Kong, arrange team hiking trips!

For more information, please watch the challenge video or contact Rose.

Judith Maegli, Switzerland

Judith Maegli, Managing Director of our Switzerland office has chosen to organise a tree planting session for the Zurich team and their partners. The team will plant several tree seedlings in the forest behind Judith’s house. View photos of the forest here.

For more information, please contact Judith.

The Bahamas office completed their 10k Step challenge. Five members of the team met and exceeded their target of 300,000 steps each in one month. All funds raised by the challenge will be donated to The Dignified Girl Project.

Our Cayman Islands office hosted a tree planting session and planted Clusia Rosea shade trees at Consuelo Beach Park in Grand Cayman.

Our Switzerland team planted ten new silver firs in a local forest and then enjoyed a barbecue at Managing Director, Judith Maegli's house.

Claire Machin, Group Director and Head of Private Wealth in Jersey, challenged the Jersey office to cover 2021 miles collectively. The team not only exceeded their challenge, but they completed it ten times over!

Rose Chan, Head of Private Wealth in Hong Kong, challenged the Hong Kong team to collectively accumulate 2,021 hours. Team members racked up hours by cycling, walking, powerlifting, running, hiking, and playing football and rugby to contribute to the challenge. The team has made good progress towards the challenge and will continue to collect their hours.

Anne Baggesen, Managing Director of our Private Wealth Division, and Janine Cubbon, Director and Head of Private Wealth in the Isle of Man, challenged themselves to paddleboard around the Isle of Man. Anne and Janine knew this challenge wouldn’t be easily achieved (which is why they chose it!) but they have made good progress and will continue with their challenge with some of the most difficult sections of coastline still to navigate.

Finance Isle of Man's #ChooseToChallenge discussion with Janine Cubbon

16 March 2021

Director and Head of Private Wealth, Janine Cubbon was invited to take part in Finance Isle of Man's #ChooseToChallenge discussion as part of their International Women's Day campaign.

Governance: at the heart of modern day ESG trustee thinking

18 March 2021

Anne Baggesen, Managing Director of our Private Wealth Division, discusses how approaches to governance are evolving across the modern private wealth landscape, and how that is shaping Suntera Global’s own journey as a leading service provider to a global client base…

Citywealth's International Powerwomen: Choose to Challenge article

23 March 2021

Claire Machin, Group Director and Head of Private Wealth in Jersey was featured in Citywealth's International Powerwoman article.

Showing our global support

As well as our #ChooseToChallenge campaign, our employees showed their support for International Women's Day by sending in photos of themselves wearing the symbolic colours: purple, green and white shown in the video below. It was fantastic to see so many of our employees from around the globe, getting involved and showing their commitment to challenging gender bias and inequality.

We hope you have enjoyed our 2021 International Women's Day campaign, learning about our Private Wealth women leaders and how they will #ChooseToChallenge this year.

There have been some exciting challenges announced! Once the plans have been formalised, we will be promoting the challenges on social media, so make sure you’re following our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.

Whilst all these challenges reflect the commitment our people have to championing gender equality and challenging the status quo, if we are to make progress as a community, we all need to work together. That’s why we’ll be exploring ways to work with community and business groups to keep the gender equality debate at the top of the agenda across our network in the coming months and years.

To mark the end of our campaign, we're delighted to announce that we will be making a donation to a female-focused charity in each of our 7 jurisdictions.